Oh New York, I love you . . .

... and even more when I met my love and best friend here! Yes I'm a married women ... but we'll save that for another day :) .

I happily moved to Manhattan in 2007, such a short while ago… but I frequented the city a few times before and every time I left, I left a piece of me there. I would go back to Michigan dreaming that one day I would move to New York and become the best person that I can be. New York gave me hope and the feeling that I can achieve all the things I wanted to in my life - career, family and lifestyle. It was all available in that vibrant city, and if I worked hard enough, one day I would live there.   

So I worked hard and thought even harder about what my life would be "when" I moved to New York. I would envision all these little moments of me living there - what my apartment would look like and where I would go for my coffee in the morning, I researched and bookmarked all the best restaurants to dine at, and I even picked my favorite street to live on. I envisioned myself walking through the city streets and my morning run through Central Park (so cheesy, I know), but all this kept me motivated.

One summer morning, while sipping on my favorite Java Hutt latte, I was sitting in front of my laptop checking my email and getting ready to do some work… I find an email from an unfamiliar woman named Catt. I was going to delete it, thinking it was junk but I was a bit curious so I read on…"Dear Mais, …. we have an immediate opening for a junior level designer position, and we were wondering if you would be available to relocate to Cincinnati, Ohio for training and after training work for our office in New York City." …. they were wondering WHAT?! Was this a scam or some kind of joke?! … I must of read the email 100 times before I responded, not knowing what kind of reply I would receive... To make a loonnng story short, I moved to Cincinnati for three months and after training I moved to Manhattan and never looked back!! It was a fabulous dream come true :)

And ever since then I have been frequenting all my favorite coffee shops, parks, and streets when ever I want :) and for fun here is a list of my 10 favorite places in New York City, in no particular order:

1. MoMA - My favorite museum to visit on a cold rainy day.

2. Bistro Bagatelle - The funniest Saturday brunch spot for those who like to drink champagne and dance away their Saturday afternoon!! 

3. ilili Restaurant - One of my favorite Lebanese restaurant and the first dinner date with my love.

4. Biking and picnicking - along the Hudson River, a quick and easy escape from the city traffic.

5. McNally Jackson Books - An indie bookstore where I spend all my money.

6. Chelsea Market - An indoor market with great food, coffee and a unique interior space. A good place to go on a rainy day. 

7. The High Line - A beautiful renovated railway turned into an elevated park.

8. Rockwood Music Hall - An intimate music hall, with no cover charge, a great place to catch all the up and coming singers and bands from around the world. Always a great place to go wind down and have a glass of wine on the weekdays.  

9. La Colombe - The best coffee in all of Manhattan. The space is not too shabby either

10. ABC Carpet & Home - A heaven for interior designers and people that love pretty things.. I can spend HOURS there.

Those are just to name a few, I will constantly be sharing with you my favorite places in the city. So please keep checking back! And if you are planning to visit New York City soon and wondering what are some great local spots to see, don't be shy to ask, I'm always happy to help :)


All pictures are found via pintrest


Have a fabulous day ya'll
xo Mais.